German car owners avoid electric cars: only 3% go electric!

German car owners avoid electric cars: only 3% go electric!

A current study by HUK Coburg, which looks at the attitude of private car owners towards electric cars, shows that interest in battery-powered vehicles in Germany remains low. In the first quarter of 2025, the proportion of purely electric cars in the private vehicle fleet was only 3%. In the last few months the share grew by only 0.1% compared to the previous quarter. Klaus-Jürgen Heitmann, CEO of HUK Coburg, explains that electric cars are hardly accepted on the private market. The study refers exclusively to fully electric cars and ignores hybrid vehicles.

HUK Coburg, which is considered the market leader in car insurance in Germany and insures over 14 million vehicles, also reports regional differences. In federal states such as Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, the proportion of electric cars is more than twice as high as in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. The “E-Barometer” also shows that the analysis only looks at privately insured vehicles and excludes company cars.

Buyer behavior

Another notable aspect is that in the first quarter of 2025, 61% of buyers chose a used electric car, while 39% chose a new car. However, skepticism towards these vehicles is strong. A survey by the opinion research institute Yougov among 4,222 participants showed that 42% of respondents consider electric cars to be good or very good vehicles, while 51% rate them rather negatively. Only 15% would generally consider an electric car, indicating a significant negative attitude among the general population.

What is particularly striking is that 60% of those surveyed have greater concerns when it comes to purchasing a used electric car compared to a vehicle with a combustion engine. This skepticism could be a decisive factor as to why private car owners in Germany continue to avoid electric cars Mirror reported.

Meanwhile, the study conducted by HUK Coburg and the Yougov survey show that despite efforts to establish electric cars as a sustainable alternative, many German car owners are still reluctant. Developments in the automotive industry are likely to remain exciting, while the acceptance of electric cars at the private customer level is expected to progress slowly.

The numbers and facts mentioned send a clear signal: the road to widespread acceptance of electromobility is still rocky. Consumers' prejudices and fears must be taken seriously in order to initiate the transition to electric mobility.